Possible Federer/Hewitt Quarter-final

What is everybody's take on this possible match-up? Can Hewitt beat Federer? I think that if Hewitt brings his game back up to where it was before (when he won Wimbledon 2002 etc.), he could become a big rival for Federer, especially with their contrasting styles and all.

I'm looking forward to Moya vs. Hewitt. Moya is one of the few guys who has a winning record against Hewitt. Although the surface definitely favors Hewitt. But hopefully it will be a good one.

And well done to Carlos to get to the fourth round of a slam he has been avoiding for a couple years. And for getting past the second round. It's too bad he didn't start taking the event more seriously a bit earlier in his career.

The fact that Hewitt will have to take out Moya before facing Federer will definitely help the Aussie out. Hewitt has had increasingly difficult opponents each round, and he seems to keep raising his game each time. (He also looks much better than he did at Queen's 2 weeks ago, btw.)

Federer, however, has been steamrolling pretty soft opponents. The next couple of rounds for him will be tougher (Johansson, Lopez, or Karlovic), but probably not enough to make him sweat. (Well, who knows what will happen with Karlovic? It would be cool to see a rematch b/w him and Lleyton, if he somehow beat Fed.)

If Hewitt can get into Federer's head in the first couple of sets, he can definitely beat him.

I am very impressed with Hewitt's play as of late. His entire demeanor is so much better than it was at the FO you can tell he is at home on grass. Federer is looking unstoppable at the moment though. I am really looking forward to moya vs hewitt match.

although I do think Hewitt has a chance to beat Federer, I doubt that Hewitt, albeit ANYONE, has a chance to get into Federer's head. At least from the highlights (curse you ESPN), Hewitt seems to be playing very well, but Moya is a tough customer. I think Hewitt can get past Moya in 4 or maybe 5, but it will be pretty close. As for Federer, I'm pretty sure he can make it to quarters, but somehow I think Johansson might have a chance. As for Lopez or Karlovic, I don't see them doing any damage to Federer.

Federer will pimp slap Hewitt like he did at the Australian Open, on Hewitts home court, in front of the home crowd, on Australia Day with the fireworks in the background. Hewitt won't know what hit him. Straight sets in an hour and a half.

Federer will pimp slap Hewitt like he did at the Australian Open, on Hewitts home court, in front of the home crowd, on Australia Day with the fireworks in the background. Hewitt won't know what hit him. Straight sets in an hour and a half.

In this particular case, Hewitt's 7-4 head-to-head lead over Federer is no longer a good indication, imo, of who will win because the majority of Hewitt's victories over Federer occurred before Federer transformed from a promising erratic self-doubting player to a self-assured champion.

Hewitt is definitely a live underdog against Roger. Only a couple of matches ago (Head to head) he beat a red hot Federer in the Davis Cup semi. This was the SELF ASSURED Federer, he had the big W under his belt. Hewitt was also actually on top until the foot fault in the Aussie, which then gave Federer momentum, and boy did he use it. If Federer is red hot he would blow anyone away i guess, but if he's not......

Hewitts consistent game and unbelievable determination make this at worst a very very intriguing matchup. It might well be Fed's hardest match. Of course i am not looking past Moya, he is a champion in his own right.

The main problem for Hewitt against Roger now is that, he no longer has that psychological advantage over him. I honestly think Roger bad loss to Hewitt in the Davis Cup semi had fired him up a big deal. He had since bagelled Hewitt twice. He is definitely more determined than ever to make sure he beat Hewitt.

But I'm certainly not going to write off Hewitt's chance on grass against Federer. Hewitt is in great form on grass and he did beat Federer twice on grass though that's sometime back. Also I noted that Hewitt had been serving very well for the last few matches unlike 2 months back.

Nevertheless, it's still way ahead to talk about this, possibility is there that it might not happen after all.

JohnThomas---watch the match again---the momentum had already swung BEFORE the foot fault. The announcers even mentioned that way before. That was just the excuse Hewitt supporters used. I'm not really a Hewitt fan, but to give him his due, he takes a beating like a man. He didn't use the foot fault as an excuse.

I never actually used it as an excuse and never have. I have the match on tape. I'm not saying it is why Fed won, but it was on game point to Hewitt and did cost him THAT game no matter how one looks at it. After this game Federer picked up another gear. Maybe he would have without the fault who knows. As you say, full marks to Hewitt for not dwelling on it.

Hewitt is done, but not to Federer. Moya beats Hewitt in 4 or 5. Moya has a psychological edge over Hewitt and he can hit Hewitt off the court, regardless of it being grass. Then sadly (yet somehow happily because I want Fed to win it), Fed will take Moya in 4 sets. Fed won't have to worry about Hewitt, but if he does play Hewitt, he'll still kill him, look at their last 2 matches...

Quite possibly. How far back is Moya's winning record over Hewitt, i don't think they've played much in the last couple of years? If Moya's wins are before he had time off i wouldn't take them for granted, there is no doubt in the world that Moya is not the player he was.

Hewitt is playing well right now. He is also returning very well which is key on grass. He handled Ivanisevic's serve as well as you can expect, and even though Goran's serve is a shadow of what it used to be, it is still better than what Federer will throw at him. So, with that said, I think Hewitt has a slight edge going into that match. If it happens, and I do think it will.

I saw Moya beat Hewitt twice in '02(when Hewitt was ranked #1 every week of the year) One was on outdoor hardcourt(Cincinnati) the other was indoor hard(masters cup shanghai) Both matches were straight sets &amp; close scores, but to me it seemed that Moya was in control &amp; dictating play from beginning to end. I really think Moya has a great chance regardless of Hewitt's grasscourt credentials. The grass has slowed down the last few years, so Moya should still be able to control play with his forehand. Plus I hear he's been serve &amp; volleying a lot this week. I don't think he should do it as much against Hewitt, but throwing it in once in a while will be an effective play. I'm really looking forward to this one, but I doubt we'll see much of it on Monday(all players play that day, so NBC &amp; Espn will just show us the americans &amp; Federer unless rain delays forces them to show this match)

yee, I've only seen what Espn showed us. It's hard to judge Fed's form based on his first 2 opponents, who really are minor league players. But Fed raises his game when he has to, I'm sure his match against Johannson will help establish his game for the 2nd week.

And John, Moya had to default against Hewitt in the finals of Sydney this year(after winning the previous week in Chennai)
Hewitt (though on the upswing)certainly isn't the player he used to be, while Moya is having one of the best years of his career.

Kobble,
I really think grasscourt tennis isn't as helpful to attacking players as it was in the 90s(many veterans have noticed truer bounces &amp; slower conditions due to the balls as well)
If Goran played the same exact match against Hewitt on Center Court 5 years ago, it certainly would have been more competitive.
Federer is a perfect fit for the Wimbledon of today, he doesn't serve &amp; volley always(but does mix it up), and plays great transitional tennis. That's why I think Hewitt will be in trouble when they play, Federer won't give him a target, and will control baseline rallies, getting to net at the appropriate times.

Thanks Kevin. Yes I know it's nothing to judge Federer's form based on the 2 opponents. What I'm saying is that he seems to be having everything going onl, serves, volley, backhand, it's like he's in fabulous form. But of course we'll see when he plays Johansoon today. Johansson is in great form himself and we should have a better indication.

Why isn't Hewitt the player he used to be? I didn't see anything that would have taken him away from what he used to be. The only thing that he hasn't seem like he's in 2002 is only because of the others had finally come to terms and playing to their potential.

Yee,
I certainly agree that Hewitt's drop in the ranking was due, in part, to others improving their games. But I have noticed changes in the way he competes over the last year. He seems to be playing a bit more passively in the crunch times during matches. I know he's primarily a counterpuncher, but he used to take more offensive cuts at the ball when given the opportunity in '01 &amp; '02. I watched some of his matches against Agassi &amp; Safin in '02 &amp; was amazed how often he willing to crush forehands up the line when pulled out wide. Also, he seems to be more content to play 'not to lose' when he has a lead than play 'to win' sometimes. I noticed this during some of his hardcourt matches last summer against Ferreira in LA &amp; Malisse in Cincinnati(the third set in that match was the closest I came to thinking he gave up in a match) and against Pavel in Miami. I also think his confidence level has dropped, I never thought he was the type of player that was capable of 'choking' or getting nervous, but now I'm not so sure. In last year's losses to Robredo (at the French) and Karlovic(at W) he tightened up at times he really could have taken control of the match.

Thanks Kevin, i see merit in most everything you said and you also bettered my knowledge of a few particulars. It seems like this will certainly be a match to watch, and from all accounts in here Moya will go in a slight favourite for this particular confrontation. I agree with you that Hewitt hasn't been his best for a bit, but of late he's on the up and up as you state. We get Newcombes commentry here in Oz and he is very excited at the moment. He said two days ago that Hewitt has been burnt out for ages and in his opinion is just now coming thru that phase and starting to look very fresh and hungry again. He may or may not be right, we will find out in the coming season

yee you are right, i've only seen minor highlights of Fed. I have no doubt he is playing the house down, he is prolly the most talented player on earth, and possibly for quite some time. When he's playing his best there is nobody around that would beat him no matter how well they are hitting i think. I am a big fan of Fed, and am simply pointing out that he will have to turn up and hit some tennis balls to beat Hewitt. He sure won't get the match delivered on a platter. Many nowadays seem to be giving Fed matches and trophies before he even arrives at tournies. I will grant that from here on in he is as close to a sure thing as you get in big events tho, he really is that good. If Moya's playing as good as stated he might give both of them a surprise, but i am backing Hewitt in that one and will sure hand out praise if Moya is too good

The only thing I can think of is yes his confidence level had dropped.

Honestly I didn't exactly see him playing more passive at his own will. The only time when his performance was a complete thrown away to me was when he played Chela in IW, the final set. Else, I think he's still playing pretty much the same as before, or rather trying to play the same as before. I can't comment on matches that I didn't see, ie in LA or cincinnati.

If you're talking about him tightening up at times, I might agree with you and some of the examples you pointed out. Also throw in his recent match against Andy in Queens when serving for the set. But all this tightening up can be mainly due to the pressures your opponents are throwing at you, though you're at the advantage situation, you're not completely confident that you're in control. So ultimately it's probably back to the confidence level.

Many nowadays seem to be giving Fed matches and trophies before he even arrives at tournies. I will grant that from here on in he is as close to a sure thing as you get in big events tho, he really is that good. If Moya's playing as good as stated he might give both of them a surprise, but i am backing Hewitt in that one and will sure hand out praise if Moya is too good

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I can see why people give comments such as those, at times Federer's performance does tend to give indication that he's out of the world. But to think he's invincible at this moment really is exagerrating the whole situation. Didn't he just lose to Guga in FO, in straight sets too.

As I had said, Moya can play on grass and has in him the ability to beat Hewitt. But I'm gonna go with Hewitt this time too.

Federer is obviously a great talent, but the gap between him &amp; the rest of the field tends to get exaggerated. He's one of my favorite players, but to me he hasn't shown me he's a great champion yet, but a great tennis player. This isn't his fault at all, you can only beat who you play, and can't choose how you beat them. I'd just want to see him struggle through a five-setter in a major. I always remember what Becker said about a 5th set, it wasn't about tennis but about your heart &amp; will. Federer doesn't have a great 5 set record, I'd like to see how he performs with his back really against the wall. Sampras won so many dramatic 5 setters in his career against so many exciting players. I just wonder if Federer will get the chance, if he'll just blast through everyone when he's on, &amp; go out when he's off.

And I want Moya to beat Hewitt because he has a better shot at pushing Federer. Moya has a big enough game(with some S&amp;V) to rush Fed. Fed likes to have time to hit his shots. I don't think anyone who plays strictly from the baseline without a ton of power(ala Hewitt) can trouble him at all.

Ahhhh great point Kevin, Fed and five setters. You know i really hadn't thought of that. The only five set match i can think of Fed playing was the dramatic davis cup loss to Hewitt, he was something like two sets and 5-3 up and serving. He went well and truly backwards in the fifth set too as Hewitt really dug his heels in and threw out the challenge. You are right too, great five set victories remain vividly in mind and legend. Lendl over Mac in the 84 French, Mac - Borg's famous Wimby final, as well as US final. Edberg - Becker Wimby. The list goes on.

Even when Hewitt was #1, he would get, as IrishBanger put it, pimp slapped by players playing up to their potential-for instance, Moya and Safin, when they were "on" demolished the spunky little Aussie. But they weren't ON like that too often-and go OFF by a degree and Hewitt owns you. It was obvious from Hewitt's match with Moya that Moya is the more talented ball striker-but he takes huge risks, too, and Hewitt basically let him beat himself. Federer, unlike Safin or Moya, is ON a whole lot of the time, especially in the late rounds of a GS. Based on that, I'm thinking he's gonna go a pimp slapping.

The game has moved on since Hewitt was #1. Simple fact is there are players now who can consistently hit with enough pace at angles to get through Hewitt. He has had to learn how to inject pace into his game to get out of trouble and this is when he makes errors, notably on the forehand side, where he is inconsistent by his previous high standards. He remains a difficult opponent as he is gritty and determined, but if Fed can take him so straightforwardly on clay earlier in the season, when hitting through Hewitt is much harder, then grass should present less of a problem for the Swiss man. Result is not a forgone conclusion, but if you assume Fed and Hewitt are both up for it, then Fed at his best beats Hewitt at his best ... No disrespect to Hewitt as Fed at his best beats anyone at the moment.

Some good points guys. Hewitt is very much like an updated Borg/Wilander type, wear you down grind it out etc. Remember tho he's more agressive than Borg ever was and more exciting to boot. Borg's magic was in his match ups, Borg - McEnroe made Borg look exciting as it gets. Put him with Vilas tho.......lol